Lance Corporal William G. Duff
William Duff was born around 1880, child of Scottish-born parents, boilermaker Alexander Duff and his wife Janet (née Thomson). On 23 August 1905 he married Sarah Cross, daughter of a sergeant in the Royal Irish Rifles, in the Church of Ireland Parish Church, Comber, County Down. He was living at Comber at the time and working as a groom. At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at Carnasure, Comber, with his wife, his sister, and his child William Green Duff. He was employed as a stud groom.
Duff enlisted in the North Irish Horse on 7 September 1914 (No.1140 – later Corps of Hussars No.71247). He was posted to F Squadron, where he was assigned as groom to its commanding officer, Lord Farnham. In mid-1915 the squadron embarked for England, where it camped at Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.
Soon after, however, Farnham was appointed to the headquarters staff of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Duff went with him. He embarked for France with his officer and the Division on 3 October 1915. Farnham returned to the North Irish Horse in July 1916, taking command of D Squadron of the 1st NIH Regiment. Again, Duff went with him as his groom.
Fellow Horseman Thomas Morrow mentioned Duff in a letter dated 13 June 1917, in which he noted with regret the departure of another man, Bob Craigan:
I'll miss him here, as I have seen him pretty regular lately, he and Billy Duff, and Billy Gordon were great pals as he knew Duff well, being about the Islands [in Strangford Lough] so much with Miss Wilson. they are both in this Squadron with Officers Major & Captain.
On 22 September 1917 Farnham was given command of the 10th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The following day Morrow wrote:
Our Major Lord Farnham has left us, and is gone to the 10th Batt R. I. F. Billy Duff is his groom and is gone with him, he was sorry at leaving us.
Farnham was captured at the beginning of the Kaiserschlacht Offensive in March 1918, but it appears that Duff escaped that fate.
On 6 April 1919 he was demobilised and transferred to Class Z, Army Reserve.
This page last updated 8 September 2025.